Working for water programme
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| WORKING FOR WATER PROGRAMME
South Africa Objectives The principle objective of the Working for Water programme is to use the removal of alien plant species from stressed catchments as a way of empowering people into small business. The Working for Water programme sets definite parameters for contractors in the selection of workers, requiring that they give preference to single-headed households, women, the disabled and the youth. The programme has, in partnership with NICRO and the Department of Welfare, allocated jobs to ex-offenders, endeavours to provide child-care for the children of workers, and has programmes committed to deal with issues such as reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. PES Working for Water (WfW) programme clears mountain catchments and riparian zones of invasive alien plants to restore natural fire regimes, the productive potential of land, biodiversity, and hydrological functioning. The success of the programme is largely attributed to it being mainly funded as a poverty-relief initiative, although water users also contribute through their water fees. This emerging PES system differs from others in that the service providers are previously unemployed individuals that tender for contracts to restore public or private lands, rather than the landowners themselves. 
Summary Background problem 750 tree species and 8,000 shrubby and herbaceous species were brought into South Africa from countries as far afield as North America, South and Central America, Australia, Europe, and Asia as crop species, garden ornaments, barrier and hedge plants ; to stabilize sand dunes; and for timber and firewood. But the invasive plants have created a huge problem, adversely affecting more than 8% of the country. They spread at alarming rates, impede the growth of natural vegetation, and destabilize the ecological balance by increasing the intensity of wildfires and soil erosion. In many areas, thickets of alien plants have converted valuable agricultural land into unproductive wasteland. Worse, many invasive alien plants are incredibly thirsty. The result is dramatically reduced ground water levels, and dried-up rivers and streams. It is estimated that invading aliens cover 10 million hectares of land and, each year, use 3.3 billion cubic metres more water than native vegetation. Today, 110 species are designated “invasive alien plants”. Implementation/methods Working for Water was launched in 1995 by the South African Government as a multi-departmental public works programmed, in an effort to tackle the problem of invading alien plants while at the same time addressing unemployment among less skilled people, focusing mainly on rural women, the youth and the disabled. It aims at: b) improving ecological integrity and restoring the productive potential of land c) promoting sustainable use of natural resources d) investing in the most marginalized sectors of South African society. The W f W programme sets definite parameters for contractors in the selection of workers, requiring that they give preference to single-headed households, women, the disabled and the youth.
a) The program has improved water security with enhanced streamflows, and improved water quality b) Since 1995, 169 114 hectares have been cleared and a further 184 302 hectares cleared as follow-up rehabilitation work was done on 7 955 hectares c) Secondary industries based on cleared wood were developed through the Value added industry (VAI) program.They are down-streams industries using biomass form cleaning operations, thus maximizing the positive economic benefits of the program d) In the 1998/99 financial year, a total of 70 500 person days were spent on training. The program had employed 56% women. Today, more than 42,000 people are employed. The Social development thrust is part of the program and aims at poverty relief, employment of poor people, women, youth and disabled, and supports HIV/AIDS awareness. In the 2000/1 financial year, the programme had 313 projects across South Africa, run as integrated initiatives. References Official paper: http://www.dwaf.gov.za/wfw/ + articles on specific projects: http://www.dwaf.gov.za/wfw/Docs/
- “Streamflow responses to the clearing of alien invasive trees from riparian zones at three sites in the Western Cape Province” by F.W Prinsloo and David F Scott, CSIR, Division of Water, Forest and Technologies, 1999 Articles - IDRC, Canada, “Working for Water: Removing Alien Plants in South Africa”, May 21 1999http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-5156-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html - ”Whacking Wattles for Water - the South African Working for Water Project- An innovative integrated approach to social and environmental rehabilitation” in Sciences in Africa (inline sciences magazine), Wed Aug 27 2008 http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2001/june/wfw.htm Contacts Dr Brian van Wilgen, Scientific Advisor, Environmentek, CSIR, Private Bag X5011, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa; Tel: (021) 887-5101; Fax: (021) 887-5142; E-mail: bvwilgen@csir.co.za Andrew Wannenburgh B.Sc. For. (Stell.), M.Sc. EGS (UCT) Subdirectorate: Scientific Services Directorate: Working for Water (National Office) Department of Water Affairs & Forestry Private Bag X4390, CAPE TOWN, 8000 5th Floor Parliament Towers Building, 103-107 Plein Street, Cape Town Tel: (021) 441-2738 Fax: (021) 441-2786 Cell: 082-908-4762 E-mail: wannena@dwaf.gov.za Website: www.dwaf.gov.za/wfw/ Quality of information A biocontrol was planned in the initial project, and may have been implemented, though the communication around it needed to be improved. It’s a good example of the “Ecosystem Approach”, linking environmental and social issues, as well as an original approach of PES. As for Dr Brian van Wilgen, “the most critical weakness in the current WfW M&E approach is the lack of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-based objectives which can be used to evaluate progress towards the goals set out in their Strategic Plan.” Quality of the project Institutional challenges: - Lack of centralization: there is no precise definition of “invader plant” or “weed”, or these definitions vary for different provinces. Each province has its own nature conservation legislation for IAS. - There is no lead agency to supervise biocontrol, and a lack of communication to promote biocontrol. Environmental challenges: - Use of chemicals (herbicides) to control the spread of IAS Directory: financial financial -> East Carolina University Travel Office financial -> Financial Analysis with the DuPont Ratio: a useful Compass By: Steven C. Isberg, Ph. D. Financial Analysis and the Changing Role of Credit Professionals financial -> United states financial -> Lesson 4 The Origins of Money and Banking Student Resources financial -> Asm by-Laws 8/25/04 Eligibility Criteria financial -> Summer Service Corps a program of Community Service at Ohio University Earn $2700 by helping the Athens Community! financial -> Job Description Graduate Research Assistant Economic Research Institute of Erie Sam and Irene Black School of Business Penn State Erie financial -> Financial Reconstruction in Iraq financial -> Seen through the lens of the crisis: some achievements and numerous challenges Download 18.09 Kb. Share with your friends:
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